First-round pick starts against the Indianapolis Colts

On the high school quarterback camp circuit, EJ Manuel and Andrew Luck shared a friendship and the spotlight.

It wasn’t long, though, before Luck began to separate himself from Manuel and every other quarterback in the nation. En route to becoming the No. 1 NFL Draft pick last season, Luck was often the center of debates about whether he was the best college quarterback — ever.

Manuel never received such lofty adulation, but there is this: He was the only quarterback taken in the first round, chosen 16th overall by the Buffalo Bills. Not Matt Barkley. Not Geno Smith. Not any of the others touted so heavily throughout the year.

Manuel lapped them all and, along with Smith of the New York Jets, is one of two rookie quarterbacks in contention for a starting job. Manuel started Sunday's preseason game against Luck and the Colts.

Manuel? Well, it may take him a while to get there, but don't count him out.

He has to this point been inconsistent in Bills training camp, showing both flashes of brilliance and signs of inexperience. His primary contender, incumbent starter Kevin Kolb, slipped on a wet mat last week and injured his knee, forcing coach Doug Marrone to put the ball in Manuel's hands.

But it doesn't matter how he got here. It's what Manuel does with the opportunity that could begin to shape his career.

"It's a dream come true," Manuel said. "Every day is a new day for me and like I've said, I just want to get better each day, so just go out there and get my first game action and I'll be excited."

The decision to draft Manuel was a defining moment for the organization. It wasn't only his size (6-5, 237 pounds, dual-threat ability and surge up draft boards—he was the most valuable player of the Senior Bowl—he proved to be coachable, stable and free of any character risks. He could be the face of the franchise in a new Bills culture.

In that way, Manuel is a lot like his old friend, Luck. Not that there's any pressure.

"I think pressure is what you put on yourself, no matter who you are," Marrone said. "I think if you're a competitor, which all these players are, I think they put a tremendous amount of pressure on themselves to go out there and perform.

"A lot of times, it's how they handle adversity."

Manuel knows about that, too. Throughout his senior season at Florida State, his mother, Jackie Manuel, was having chemotherapy for breast cancer. How did he handle that on the field? By passing for 3,392 yards and scoring 27 touchdowns to lead FSU to the Orange Bowl.

He told his fans via Twitter in February that his mother is now cancer-free. That had to make it easier for him to give his full attention to preparing for the life he's now living.